As anyone who has been involved with an exit can tell you, presenting to potential acquirers demands a clear, concise, and most importantly, uniform presentation. You may feel like the power-move would be to bring your entire team into meetings, but that would do more harm than good. With so many people involved, it’s easy for details and messages to become lost or altered. It is imperative that you limit participation to critical team members.
You need to make sure that you have all the key players, but only the key players, presenting. This includes making sure that they are all properly prepared and aligned. This means that everyone needs to understand the key messages and be committed to the plan. You don’t want anyone departing from the script, as buyers will quickly pick up on any clues that suggest the team is not on the same page and either negotiate their way to a lower price or blow up the deal entirely. Also, the team’s cohesion and professionalism builds confidence in the future performance of the business. Coming in behind a unified front will ensure that the company is presented in the best possible light, demonstrating the potential value of acquiring the business. Remember, acquirers are not just shopping for the latest-and-greatest tech because they’re bored — they are trying to better position themselves for the future.
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Finally, this is a chance for buyers to get to know the leaders who will take the business forward, so it’s important that everyone gets a chance to shine. It is not unusual for a company’s leadership to be hired on to the buyer’s team as part of the deal. As such, it needs to be clear that the people involved with the sale of the company will mesh with the buyer’s culture. Even if retention is not part of the deal, buyers need to know that the leaders have prepared the company for continued success after they have left.
What else is important to keep in mind during your interactions with buyers? Keep an eye here to find out.